A number of wealthy Jews in Tripoli have been interned by Libyan authorities since the revolution which unseated King Idris. But their detention is purely a “precautionary measure taken to protect them from possible attacks,” the newspaper La Stampa reported.
According to the newspaper’s correspondent in Tripoli, Giorgio Fattori, Libyan officials made it clear to him that the detention was protective. He said there are about 300 Jews in Tripoli who appear quite free and are reachable by telephone calls from friends and associates in Rome and Naples. Mr. Fattori reported that only one anti-Jewish incident occurred during the military coup when a Jewish youth was attacked in a public square. He was rescued by soldiers. The new regime is genuinely anxious to prevent anti-Jewish incidents, Mr. Fattori wrote.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.